This invention relates generally to gas turbine engines and, more particularly, to a turbine shroud assembly for gas turbine engines.
Many conventional turbine shroud assemblies utilize cooling fluid flow across or between shroud segments to facilitate cooling of the shroud segments. During gas turbine engine operation, the shroud segments thermally expand in a circumferential direction due to exposure to high temperatures associated with the engine operation. This thermal expansion results in a decrease in spacing between adjacent shroud segments. As the spacing between adjacent shroud segments decreases, the amount of cooling fluid flow also decreases. The decrease in cooling fluid flow prevents or limits cooling of the shroud segment faces and ultimately results in shroud segment distress, particularly at the circumferential end faces of the shroud segments. Further, such shroud segment distress may result in spallation of a ceramic shroud coating.